Welcome to the blog!

This is the place to come for all the latest from Mariel Reyes Photography. This is where I will be posting sneak peeks, specials, contests and fun information so be sure to check back often! Below is the link to join my Facebook fan page. This is a great way to tag you pictures. You can also share any posts from the blog on Facebook, Google, Twitter and MySpace my clicking the button at the end of each post. :)

Can’t believe my little guy is 7! He wanted an Angry Bird party, and we had so much fun planning it! For the invitation he wanted to be IN the game. I didn’t know there with birthday levels! It was perfect. I took snapshots on my iphone (clicking the buttons to take a screenshot) and then emailed them to myself and opened them in Photoshop and added Gavin from a picture I took in studio.

For the party we came up with a fun craft- Angry Bird Visors. I got Visors already made in the Angry Bird colors from the craft store along with some orange and black foam for the eyebrows and beak and google eyes. I found a template for the face at this site. It has all the bird and pig faces. I printed and then used that as a template to cut out eyebrows and beaks to keep it easy for the kids. This was also one of the items they took home from the party.

The birthday boy loved his cake. I used buttercream to frost the entire cake and then used fondant to make the clouds and face. If you haven’t used fondant, you should! Super easy. We also played Hot Bird (Hot Potato), Red Bird Says, Bird/Bird/Pig (Duck/Duck/Goose) and Red Bird/Green Bird (Red Light/Green Light). It was fun to play some of the old school party games. I was surprised that some of the kids had never played them and they really liked it! We decorated the table Angry Bird Style with Nesting Supplies, worms and changed out the labels on the soda. Gavin had fun coming up with the names. As favors, the kids got the hats they made, Angry Bird Activity books and a pack of Gummi worms. We used the Angry Bird Gummi’s as prices for the games. Most importantly, Gav and the kids had FUN!

We only had a short time before the ceremony but we wanted to give Kim and Kent a special private moment to see each other before the festivities began. This modern day “Brady Bunch” family with 6 kiddos is always on the go and for them to get some alone time together before their wedding was precious indeed. The way Kent lit up when he saw Kim made my heart melt and these two lovebirds shared more kisses and hugs that day than any couple I have ever seen. Their love was so evident and it was a joy to see! More photos to come, but wanted to share their “First Look”.

It is getting warmer (did we even have winter this year?!?!) and you have probably noticed the wildflowers mopping up along I-35 and Mopac. SPRING IS HERE! Time for annual bluebonnet portraits! Whether it is a family tradition or this is your first time, if you live in Texas you MUST have bluebonnet pictures! Don’t pull over and take pictures on the side of the road (Can you say DANGEROUS?!?!) Contact the studio today to reserve your $49 minisession. We will be taking portraits at the end of the month into April- when the flowers are at their peak.

I was really excited when I got the call that Allee wanted me to take her senior portraits. The last time I saw her, I was in college and she was really young so I was not prepared for the gorgeous girl that walked in the door! We had so much fun during her shoots. She is just so sweet and funny with an infectious smile. I caught myself smiling at the computer screen while editing all her pictures. Alle wanted to do studio and outdoor pictures so we did a senior combo shoot- two days of shooting both in studio and on location. After talking with her about her style and what she wanted we came up with a perfect spot for her pictures. And speaking of style, she brought so many cute outfits it was impossible to choose which to use. And SHOES- OMG! LOVED THEM ALL.

If you haven’t booked your senior pictures, call the studio ASAP! To see more of Allee’s pictures, be sure to check out Mariel Reyes Photography on Facebook.

Get on Santa’s Nice List! Santa’s List Holiday Mini Sessions will be Nov 12th and 19th. We will also have some weekday time slots available. Contact the studio to reserve your time slot ASAP! Sessions are 25 minutes long and you will receive 10-15 proofs to view online. You can also view the extensive selection of gorgeous holiday cards- from traditional, eclectic, vintage to modern- you are sure to find one that will make your card stand out this year. You know you want the card everyone “Ooohs and AAAHHHS” for! They would also make great gifts whether you do a print or an ornament. Sessions are $45 and are filling up fast, so call or hit that contact form below today!

We had such a great time at the FAAN Food Allergy Walk. FAAN (The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network) is the world leader in information, resources, and programs for food allergy, a potentially life-threatening medical condition that afflicts as many as 15 million Americans, including approximately 6 million children. FAAN provides information and educational resources about food allergy to patients, their families, schools, health professionals, pharmaceutical companies, the food industry, and government officials. The goal of the walk is to raise public awareness, to provide advocacy and education, and to advance research on behalf of all those affected by food allergies and anaphylaxis. This organization is very special to me. My son is anaphylactic to peanuts. One bite can be fatal for him. What this organization does for our family and other suffers is so much greater than I could describe.

There were over 400 walkers and they surpassed the $30,000 goal, raising over $40,000! Kyle Dine was here from Canada to perform and the kids (and grown ups!) loved his music! What a great message he has for the kids and the music is just fun to listen to. the kids of course were not just listening. They were dancing and singing along! There were a ton of amazing sponsors there with great products, snacks and services for food allergy suffers. Dey was there and had stations to register your epi-pens. If you have one and haven’t registered it- you can do so on this site. AND they were giving away an iPad! (* side note, we can not enter drawings. My son is SURE we are going to win and then baffled, shocked and confused when our name isn’t called!) In addition to the sponsors, there was a fire truck, HEB buddy, a balloon animal clown, bounce house, and lots of other fun activities. The weather was just gorgeous and event couldn’t be any more fun! I am so glad I got to be a part of it :)

WOW! Where did the school year go? It is SUMMER! Looking at these always makes me think of summer.

We were so lucky to have the BEST teachers this year- seriously, I could not have chosen better teachers for my kiddos. So as we said goodbye, I wanted to give them something different. Being a Pinterest addict, I saw some things to try and the kids and I have a lot of fun making these. * OK, here is where I go off on a tangent… If you do not know what Pinterest is- you must check it out. That is, if you want to get sucked into another website! I LOVE it. It is like creating bulletin boards of your favorite things so you can come back to them later and getting to see all your friends boards. ENDLESS INSPIRATION! Click the link above to go to my boards. There are decoration ideas, fashion, parties, DIY, crafting, food (yes, I have a food board even though I rarely cook— but I COULD cook…I think) and- well pretty much anything out there! And now that there is an iphone app…sheesh- forget about it! Free time is now Pinteret time ;)*

Sorry for the dark snapshots- I took these late at night. If you know me, I am a night crafter. hee hee

I hope everyone has a great summer! Looking forward to fun sessions and new inspirations!

Ya know, if high school boys were thinking about it, they would probably be volunteering here at Mariel Reyes Photography. Not to hang out with me, the cool photographer (HA…I know…I know…) but to hang out with all the gorgeous seniors that come in! Seriously, is Shelby not just stunning? She was so much fun! She brought along some great props, outfits and ideas that really made her session HER. I loved her ideas and worked with her to get the look she wanted. She also has a love of photography and is a fellow Nikon girl- hee hee.

Class of 2011, this is it! Your final semester. If you haven’t already taken your pictures or just took the ones with the photographer the school sent you to, there is still time to get amazing custom portraits that are truly stunning and all YOU. CALL NOW and book your session :)

Tomorrow is the launch of the amazing girls line “Swanky Swirls & Vintage Pearls” from Swanky Baby Vintage! This fabulous new clothing line is the perfect mix of classic and modern. The fabric are amazing and bright with a fun eclectic mix I just LOVE in a classic, well made silhouette. The girls were almost as excited to wear this dress as I was to get to be chosen to photograph the sneak peek with 15 other photographers across the country! This dress is extremely well made and has precious details. I know Swanky Baby Vintage will be a favorite in my house. The Spring line is released tomorrow so be sure to go to their site and become a fan on Facebook for details.

Here are some (ok a LOT of) shots on some new spring sets we will be offering. We paired the dress with some leggings we had (this dress is so versatile), but Swanky baby has some PRECIOUS ruffled leggings I want in every color! They are sending us a pair so you know there will be more pictures coming. I am really excited to work with such an amazing company and look forward to exciting opportunities with them in the future!

The New Year always gets me excited about what lies ahead and also makes me reminisce about the past. I came across this New Year Baby picture of my now rambunctious 5 year old boy! Wow, I miss the days when he sat still for pictures.

He is sooooo going to hate this picture in the teen years, but I am sure will treasure it like I do when he is older. That is what I love about creating images – for myself and other families. Not only can they be beautiful artwork for your home, but more than that, they are moments frozen in time and saved forever. Little ones change so fast. I can hardly keep up with my guy, but looking at this image with his sweet pudgy fingers takes me back in an instant!

As you start the new year, are making sure YOU are in the photos, too? That is my resolution for the year! Drag dad, get the kids, mom stop procrastinating and have someone (like me – lol) take a family portrait. I started looking through my pictures and they were all the kids and daddy or just the kids. All of us together was a rarity! I have a few of my family from when I was little and THOSE are my favorites. I want to give that to my children. I want to be present in their memories. Whether is is an elegant studio shot or a outdoor urban scene- do something that is YOU and represents your family for years to come. Most often I hear that Dad wasn’t too excited about getting his picture taken and am always elated to hear that they had fun, and the family has a great memory of togetherness and fun! I promise it is painless and you will have a good time! Mom, you will look great – so stop stressing about what to wear or putting it off until you look a certain way (I know you know what I mean… I am soo guilty of that, but NO MORE!) Call me and let’s make a memory!

New and exciting changes are coming this year so be on the lookout. Follow the blog and become a fan on Facebook for specials and fun giveaways. I look forward to seeing my wonderful clients in 2011 and meet some new ones this year!